I saw Lorraine Pascale do this. It looked very easy - I think the trick is to pour the mixture out of the saucepan as soon as you add the bicarbonate of soda - don't hang around even for a few seconds or it will become too hard - just pour immediately. If you look on Utube you'll find a video as well - IMO always very helpful.http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/honeycomb_80005

I love cinder toffee - I think I tried to make it once back in the 70's and remember a horrendous pan cleaning which took about a week. These days I buy it when I see it. Oddly enough I am not that keen on Crunchie bars. Mind you, I am not that keen on cheap chocolate so that probably explains it.

In the days when I ate such things, Crunchie bars were my favourites, but I had to bite the chocolate covering off each chunk and eat that first, so that I then had a chunk of unadulterated cinder toffee (and chocolatey fingers and face )!

Zosherooney wrote:Sorry Rio, I'll consider myself in the corner with the pointy cap with the D on it !!!

Nothing to be sorry or to sit in the corner about Zosh, normally when I move a topic it leaves a shadow topic (pointer) behind in the original forum. For some reason it didn't with the first one, and did with the 2nd. The logs don't indicate it was deleted so I'm assuming it just didn't get created for some reason.

Board Admin and general dogsbody

It's always a good idea to follow the directions exactly the first time you try a recipe. But from then on, you're on your own. -- James Beard

I used to make gallons of it when I was a child. Drove my mum mad as I invariably overdid the bicarb (because I liked the bit when it foamed) and covered every available surface with molten lava (which, of course, was rock hard by the time she tried to prize it off). I had a children's cook book- forget what it was called but it involved a dog and a mouse and you cooked along with them- which looking back on it, was full of recipes involving molten sugar and other potential A&E type hazards. I loved it!

I remember this never working when Mum tried to make it & it's put me off trying. I love the stuff though so am going to try some of these recipes.

Perhaps it's a bit like caramel, when washing up you need it still hot to melt off or it sets solid. I think if it does that the rescue then is to add water & warm it on the hob so it melts into the water.

It won't taste the same Patsy, really it won't . You can get golden syrup in squeezy jars now, and it keeps for ever, so I'd get some if I were you, then you can have Honeycomb this week, and Thunder and Lightening next week "One variation on a cream tea is called "Thunder and Lightning" which consists of a round of bread, topped with clotted cream and golden syrup...." Wikipedia

I understand there are a variety of views on that subject Carol - I've even heard someone claim it's made with honey! When I had it as a child on Dartmoor (at Widdecombe) it was definitely Golden Syrup

Just made some - Nigella's recipe. Simplicity itself. Delicious - although through entirely and totally my fault I let it cook a tad too long so it was rather more golden than I would have wanted and had a very slight overcooked taste. Leave it to go light golden and get it off the heat at once! Err on the side of caution.

Cleaning pan was easy. Hot water. Soap - wipe and rinse. No elbow grease involved. The whole process is quick, clean and simple and a total breeze. Far too quick in fact as it will be very tempting to make more often than is good for my teeth or figure!

I was thumbing thru' a supermarket magazine earlier and it called for honeycomb for the topping...... I really will get around to making some this week !!!!!!! I am still a cinder toffee virgin...... How did I ever find the time to be gainfully employed ????

I have just read back through this whole thread...... so lovely to see words from FCQ and Mr. Eyepatch

OK, followed recipe and greased a glass dish and poured volcano mass into it, left it in the garage to cool. Now I can't get it out, it is rock hard and has concreted itself to the glass dish. Have tried leavering it out with the point of a knife but it is not having any of it.... Any ideas out there ?????

I think the hot wet knife would be a good attemptIt's only sugar - if you can't get it out usable, at least boiling or very hot water will clean th dish (I doubt soap or detergent will make much difference)

Boiled a kettle of water and poured it into one of my oven tins and then put the glass dish of volcano stuff into the hot water, the mass released gradually and it is now sulking on a sheet of plastic.

Thanks, that was what I suspected, useful to know that I am not alone.None of the recipes from different sources said so and all said 'freeze overnight'. Strange not to warn people I think. It was also strange that they were identical. Hmm.

Ah yes, 'The mystery bitter juices' which no longer exist thanks to better cultivars. Apparently now it is to reduce the liquid so that less oil is absorbed. Don't blame me, I merely repeat what I hear/read. Doesn't the water race back in when the salt is washed off?

StokeySue wrote:I suspect that a 1/4 teaspoon is neither here nor there but I have wondered that so many recipes give the identical slightly bonkers instruction!

Indeed. Highly dubious. To progress the advancement of science I will keep some for more than overnight and report the outcome.